Mount Gretna Narrow Gauge Railway
Encyclopedia
The Mount Gretna Narrow Gauge Railway was a gauge narrow gauge line of the Cornwall and Lebanon Railroad in the state
of Pennsylvania
that operated between 1889 and 1916. The Cornwall and Lebanon Railroad earlier had established a station and picnic ground at Mount Gretna
.
The Gilded Age
iron industrialist and railroad president Robert Habersham Coleman
decided that a 4-mile (7-kilometer) narrow gauge railroad to the top of nearby Governor Dick Mountain would provide an additional tourist draw, and a 0.6-mile (1 kilometer) spur at milepost 0.75 could service the Pennsylvania National Guard rifle ranges
nearby. The line was built to the rare (in North America) and very narrow gauge of 24 inches. Locomotives, apart from an early and unsuccessful H. K. Porter, Inc
0-4-4
Forney locomotive
, were three 4-4-0
"American" types (#11, #12 and #15) built by Baldwin Locomotive Works
. Locomotive #12 was ordered on 22 June 1889 and built in only 8 days to be ready for anticipated Independence Day
crowds after the Porter Forney wheelbase proved too rigid for reliable service on small-radius curves. The Baldwin locomotives featured lagged smokeboxes and were the only 24-inch gauge 4-4-0s ever operated in North America; although Baldwin built a 60-centimeter gauge 4-4-0 for the Ferrocarril de Tacubaya
of Mexico City
in 1897.
Rails weighing 30 pounds per yard (15 kilograms per meter) were spiked onto the 4-inch (10 cm) face of ties 3 feet (1 meter) long. A turntable
, engine-house
, water tank, runaround track, and storage tracks were near the junction with the Cornwall & Lebanon at Mount Gretna. Return loops were built near the rifle range and around Governor Dick peak. During the summer of 1889 passengers were carried in one conventional coach and 7 open-sided observation cars boarded from long foot-boards running along the length of either side of the car. Two more observation cars were added when locomotive #15 was purchased for the summer of 1890. At first the railroad was popular, but the tourist trade declined after the novelty had died down. The loop around Governor Dick was dismantled after the summer of 1896, but the railroad continued operation for the National Guard rifle range. A serious accident in 1915 killed off that traffic. One of the observation cars overturned on a sharp curve when a large number of guardsmen attempted to board simultaneously from one side of the car. There were some serious injuries, and the tiny railroad ceased operation in the summer of 1916, shortly after its parent company's purchase by the Pennsylvania Railroad
. The narrow-gauge equipment was loaded aboard standard-gauge cars on 14 September 1916.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
that operated between 1889 and 1916. The Cornwall and Lebanon Railroad earlier had established a station and picnic ground at Mount Gretna
Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania
Mount Gretna is a borough in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Lebanon, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 242 at the 2000 census...
.
The Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
iron industrialist and railroad president Robert Habersham Coleman
Robert Habersham Coleman
Robert Habersham Coleman was an iron processing and railroad industrialist and owner of extensive farmland in Pennsylvania. He was the fourth- and last-generation scion of a family which controlled Cornwall Iron Furnace, in Cornwall, Pennsylvania, a major coal-burning ironmaking facility that was...
decided that a 4-mile (7-kilometer) narrow gauge railroad to the top of nearby Governor Dick Mountain would provide an additional tourist draw, and a 0.6-mile (1 kilometer) spur at milepost 0.75 could service the Pennsylvania National Guard rifle ranges
Shooting range
A shooting range or firing range is a specialized facility designed for firearms practice. Each facility is typically overseen by one or more supervisory personnel, called variously a range master or "RSO – Range Safety Officer" in the United States or a range conducting officer or "RCO" in the UK...
nearby. The line was built to the rare (in North America) and very narrow gauge of 24 inches. Locomotives, apart from an early and unsuccessful H. K. Porter, Inc
H. K. Porter, Inc
H. K. Porter, Inc. manufactured light-duty railroad locomotives in the USA, starting in 1866. The company became the largest producer of industrial locomotives, and built almost eight thousand of them...
0-4-4
0-4-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles...
Forney locomotive
Forney locomotive
The Forney is a type of tank locomotive patented by Matthias N. Forney between 1861 and 1864. Forney locomotives include the following characteristics:* An 0-4-4T wheel arrangement, that is four driving wheels followed by a truck with four wheels....
, were three 4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
"American" types (#11, #12 and #15) built by Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
. Locomotive #12 was ordered on 22 June 1889 and built in only 8 days to be ready for anticipated Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
crowds after the Porter Forney wheelbase proved too rigid for reliable service on small-radius curves. The Baldwin locomotives featured lagged smokeboxes and were the only 24-inch gauge 4-4-0s ever operated in North America; although Baldwin built a 60-centimeter gauge 4-4-0 for the Ferrocarril de Tacubaya
Ferrocarril de Tacubaya
Tacubaya Railroad was a one-mile-long line serving an amusement park in the Tacubaya district of Mexico City. The line was built by Fernando de Teresa in 1896. Passengers were carried in several designs of roofed cars approximately 5 meters long. The locomotives were smaller than those used at...
of Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
in 1897.
Turntable (railroad)
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many...
, engine-house
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
, water tank, runaround track, and storage tracks were near the junction with the Cornwall & Lebanon at Mount Gretna. Return loops were built near the rifle range and around Governor Dick peak. During the summer of 1889 passengers were carried in one conventional coach and 7 open-sided observation cars boarded from long foot-boards running along the length of either side of the car. Two more observation cars were added when locomotive #15 was purchased for the summer of 1890. At first the railroad was popular, but the tourist trade declined after the novelty had died down. The loop around Governor Dick was dismantled after the summer of 1896, but the railroad continued operation for the National Guard rifle range. A serious accident in 1915 killed off that traffic. One of the observation cars overturned on a sharp curve when a large number of guardsmen attempted to board simultaneously from one side of the car. There were some serious injuries, and the tiny railroad ceased operation in the summer of 1916, shortly after its parent company's purchase by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. The narrow-gauge equipment was loaded aboard standard-gauge cars on 14 September 1916.